


body warmth

by fuwaesthetic



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: (never), Gen, there's probably some implied ships because i'm like that but it's nothing overt, when will i stop writing graduated seniors fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 13:03:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13031715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuwaesthetic/pseuds/fuwaesthetic
Summary: The strategy meeting for the Star Festival turns into a party, just like last year, and Tsukasa sweeps up crumbs and wrapping once he's alone. Mostly alone, at least; Leo and Ritsu are in the corner, listening to music together, and he's fairly certain Izumi and Arashi went off to one of the dressing rooms to talk shop about modeling or... something like that. Regardless, he's the only one cleaning up, and he knocks his broom against Leo's leg none-too-gently to remind him of that. Leo kicks at him without any real strength behind it, leaning against Ritsu.Tsukasa's frown deepens.





	body warmth

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays!! I wrote this for @izuieos on Twitter as their Secret Santa~ i promise i had no way of knowing we'd be getting knights for christmas again hapiele why.
> 
> Thank you to Peace for beta-ing this, as always!

Tsukasa sees Arashi at the cenotaph again, the next year. Their seniors are graduated and Arashi's who he calls _Leader_ now; Knights is cutthroat in lives as always, but their image has softened to kindhearted young men who value duty over random bloodshed. It's truly chivalrous, truly knight-like... He wonders what Leo would say about it (he thinks he'd like it), then wonders if Arashi'll tell him the truth about his somber expression this year. He's only treated to a vague smile and the same answer a before when he approaches and politely asks about it, and he thinks _, Well, all right._

He can keep believing Arashi's lie, if it makes him feel comfortable. It's still a stinging nettle to think that he's still being babied, when he's become the senior to the new additions of their unit, but that's just how Arashi is, too. The regal, noble, compassionate queen of Knights who directs their blade, but also looks out for the rest of them as a “big sister,” in his words. No matter how many times Tsukasa rebuffs him, Arashi only pouts and reminds him that it's what's in the heart that matters.

They walk together to the studio—to Sena House, as it was affectionately named just a year ago—and exchange looks when they hear a crash from inside. Tsukasa shoves open the door, _Ritsu-senpai_ on his lips and falling away as soon as he sees two familiar, yet definitely _not supposed to be here_ figures. There's Izumi, vexation painting his face, and there's Leo, holding onto the kotatsu they'd dragged back out for winter like it's his lifeline. Ritsu watches him sleepily from a seat nearby, then gives Tsukasa and Arashi a wave when he sees them.

“Welcome home Suuchan, Nacchan.”

That's enough to get Leo's attention, at least; he lets go of the kotatsu and slams back into Izumi with enough force to send them both to the ground, and his face is bright and happy despite the groans of his fellow graduate beneath him.

“Suo~! Naru~! We—”

“What are you two doing here?” Tsukasa demands more than asks, and Leo's face falls for just a second before he rolls off of Izumi and sits back on his heels, peering up at them with the air-headed pensiveness he'd come to miss over the year.

“You cut me off before I could say so! You really didn't grow up any, huh, Suo?”

Tsukasa makes a face, and Arashi chuckles, gently touching his shoulder before he speaks. “He's just happy to see you two, Ousama. Isn't that right, Tsukasa-chan?”

“I won't deny that, but...” He frowns a little, then sighs. “You've graduated, senpai. This is Knights' S _tudio_... You're not allowed to be here, are you?”

“What a whiny child,” Izumi replies, voice still weak. Leo laughs his agreement, and Izumi shoves him aside. “We were Knights just last year, right? So we're still allowed to check on the baby and his caretakers. Besides,” he adds, scowling at Tsukasa when he opens his mouth, “this idiot wouldn't stop bothering me until I agreed. _Seeena, Senaaa, I'll get lost if I try to go on my own, so walk with me there pretty pretty pleaaaase._ ”

There's a beat of quiet before the rest of the Knights, graduated or otherwise, laughs at the on-point imitation of their king; even Leo does, and Tsukasa feels a flare of jealousy when he shifts and relaxes into Izumi with ease. It isn't any of his business what they've gotten into since graduating, but even so... If there were any major changes, he'd still like to know.

Arashi gets them all to settle down—the kotatsu is crowded with five people, and more yet to come, but they manage it with legs crossing each other and feet in people's laps. Tsukasa keeps his tucked beneath him, playing with the edge of the blanket until Ritsu complains that he's letting the hot air out and to stop it already. Any unease melts away like the snow on his and Arashi's winter clothes hung over chairs as chatter begins to fill the quiet, and it almost feels like last year again. Tsukasa leans forward, cheek cradled in one of his hands as he watches his senpai talk and reminisce—though, as Izumi points out, it hasn't actually been that long.

...Still, it's been a while since they were all together like this, Tsukasa thinks. He hadn't realized how much he missed it (missed them) until now. And then next spring, Ritsu and Arashi would be gone, too, and he'd be the only one of them left, and a third-year (likely the leader) at that...

“Oh, honey,” Arashi murmurs beside him, slipping an arm around his shoulder; he doesn't know why until he realizes he's shaking, and he feels his cheeks grow warm and wet. He tries to clear his throat and, failing that, wipes at his face and hiccups. Arashi squeezes him tight, and mortification creeps up the back of his neck. He's a second-year—he shouldn't be crying like a child. There isn't even anything to cry about with regards to the future, because if tonight's proven anything so far, it's that things simply fall right back into place. Even if they're apart, even if they all graduate and find their legs before him, they're still the knights he loves and loves to be with. He shakes his head and tries to find his voice somewhere in the thickness of his tongue and the tightness of his throat.

“I'm find, _Leader._ I was just thinking about next year.” Arashi's _oh_ punctures the quiet, and Tsukasa waits a moment to catch his breath; he keeps his gaze on the rice crackers spread about the table as he continues. “I'm simply happy we could get together like this as well. It's not as if I'm upset or anything.”

Leo laughs, loud and exuberant—Tsukasa glances up to see him swaying back and forth beside Izumi, grinning. “Mmmm, mmmm, so they're happy tears, right? Ahhh, Suoooo, just seeing your pretty crying face makes me want to write a new song~!”

“Ousama,” Izumi warns—and then, softer: “Leo-kun.”

“Right, right, it's not the time.” He stops swaying, but the grin doesn't leave; it turns gentle at the edges though, warmth crinkling in his eyes, and Tsukasa lets Arashi pull him against his side as he rubs his arm. “Suooo, you know all you have to do is ask and we'll definitely come running right? We'll aaaaalways come visit our favorite child!”

Izumi makes an irritated little _tch_ , and Tsukasa feels his sniffling calming down as their usual brand of banter surfaces out of his own bold confession. “Don't speak for all of us.”

“Senaaa, don't be like that! You know you would! After all, Suo's your precious little brother, isn't he?”

“The only little brother I have—”

“—is Yuuuuuu-kuuuun,” Ritsu finishes with him, grinning slowly when Izumi shoots him an annoyed look. “You'll make Suuchan cry if you keep that up, Secchan.”

Tsukasa's denial is lost to the studio's door opening and the sound of their first years entering; their graduated seniors look over immediately, vaguely predatory looks flickering on their faces as they make a quick judgment of their new crop, and he scrambles to his feet. “Ah, everyone, welcome—please, allow me to introduce our guests...”

 

 

 

The strategy meeting for the Star Festival turns into a party, just like last year, and Tsukasa sweeps up crumbs and wrapping once he's alone. Mostly alone, at least; Leo and Ritsu are in the corner, listening to music together, and he's fairly certain Izumi and Arashi went off to one of the dressing rooms to talk shop about modeling or... something like that. Regardless, he's the only one cleaning up, and he knocks his broom against Leo's leg none-too-gently to remind him of that. Leo kicks at him without any real strength behind it, leaning against Ritsu.

Tsukasa's frown deepens.

“The least you two could do is help.”

“Busy~,” Ritsu replies, leaning away from Leo, who echoes his sentiments and adds:

“I'm a guest, Suo~! Guests aren't supposed to do anything!”

“That may be so, however...” He trails off, staring down at them, and sets aside his broom to join them on the floor. Leo's lips twitch and he tugs out his earphone, wiggling it at him when he doesn't immediately take it. Tsukasa does eventually though, slipping it into his ear, and there's a brief pause where Ritsu skips back to the beginning of the song so they can listen to it in full. Leo presses closer to him like he's going to be able to hear—though it isn't really like he needs to. It's obviously one of his works, and he starts humming as he watches the time pass on the device between the three of them.

It's a nice song. It's more than nice, and Tsukasa closes his eyes to focus on it. A ballad, perhaps? He's still a novice compared to his seniors, but he's already mapping out movements in his mind and doesn't realize he's moving his hands until Arashi's soft hands grab one of his.

“Tsukasa-chan, weren't you supposed to be cleaning?” He teases, and Tsukasa splutters softly as Leo laughs and Ritsu snickers. Arashi kneels beside him anyway, still holding his hand, and out of the corner of his eye he can see Izumi linger by the door until he seems to catch someone else's gaze—he glances away, a scowl twisting his pretty face, and Tsukasa dimly realizes it must be Leo who's caught him. That's only reinforced by the small composer hopping up with a loud, “Sena~!” and running over to him, accompanied by a shout as they both go down onto the ground, and the current set of Knights winces at the resulting crash.

“Please don't roughhouse in the _Studio_ ,” Tsukasa _tries_ , but his attempt goes terribly unnoticed in their squabbling, and he watches them with more fondness than vexation. Ritsu nudges him to get his attention again and motions to the iPod, and he watches their graduates for a moment longer before he turns back to the music and finishes listening. He lets Arashi have it afterwards, pausing in getting up to watch the look on his senior's face—it's surprised at first, before it mellows into something more melancholic, and he wonders what it is Arashi can hear that he can't. Not that he gets to wonder for long; he's pulled out of his reverie by someone solidly landing on his back, and he wheezes even as Leo's hands come over his eyes.

His breath tickles against his ear when he whispers, “Suo, come out with me for a sec.”

“There could have been a better way to get my attention,” he mumbles back, but he's not allowed up until he nods—then he's up much too fast, being yanked along, and the studio door shuts behind them solidly. It's cold, snow no longer falling and instead laying completely still, and Tsukasa brings his hands to his mouth to warm them. He should have grabbed his mittens or something before they went... He glances at Leo, who's already shivering, and stares before he feels his shoulders slump and he opens his arms. “Leo-san—”

“Woah, Suo's gonna share body heat with me~? Yay, I'm taking it, thank yooou~!”

True to form, he pounces immediately into the offered embrace, and Tsukasa feels his face heat up as Leo sighs happily. What an embarrassing senior he still has...

“What did you wish to speak about?”

“Naru.” Leo's voice is muffled, and Tsukasa's not even sure he heard him right until he lifts his head out of the crook of his neck and continues with: “I wanted to talk about Naru! How's he doing? He's the “Queen” of “Knights” now, right?”

It's pressing in a weird way, like there's something else beneath it, but he can't figure it out—but it's always been like this between them, moments of clarity hidden neatly between the pages of a mystery. Tsukasa finds a place for his hands to rest and leans back against the studio door, watching shafts of moonlight pierce the snow from over Leo's head. “Well... Yes, he is. I think he's done very well, being _Leader._ You saw him with our first-year members, didn't you...? He truly puts out the feeling of an older sibling.”

“Mmmm, yeah.” There's a pause, brief but heavy, and he wonders if he's missing something. Leo remains quiet while he works it out, or tries to, but impatience gets the better of him and he digs his fingers into his side. “Suoooo, come on, you're a smart boy! That's why we're entrusting “Knights” to you next yeaaar! What else does Naru do, huh?”

“I'll be the only third-year next year, Leo-san, unless Narukami-senpai sees fit to give one of the rising second-years the crown instead,” he mumbles, wincing when he's pinched. “I don't think either Narukami-senpai or Ritsu-senpai would pass over me, however—!”

“If you don't seriously think that, then don't say it.” Leo peers up at him through his eyelashes, expression serious, and Tsukasa blinks slowly at him.

He nods, and the look melts away like ice cream in summer. The conversation lulls as he thinks about it, twisting his fingers into the back of Leo's jacket idly. Just like last year, Arashi had dismissed his question about the cenotaph. Furthermore, he made certain they weren't bothered by the little things, being a little less heavy-handed than their previous king had been in his assertions and criticisms... Leo had commented once that Arashi couldn't always be so soft, and Tsukasa tilts his head slightly.

“It's not _what_ he does, but what he doesn't do...” It's quiet and slow, tumbling clumsily out of his mouth, but it seems to be on the right track as Leo nods his head emphatically. That's not the full answer, he knows, but the door beside them opens before he can say anything else.

At least it isn't Arashi, but having Ritsu raise an eyebrow at their position isn't favorable either, and there are a hundred and ten words on his tongue before Leo just simply says, “I'm stealing Suo's body warmth,” and Ritsu immediately attaches himself to the both of them, too. It's easier to sit when there's three of them, so they do so, and Ritsu makes a spot for himself on the other side of him, nose pressed against his throat. At least he's still a little warm from inside, and Tsukasa leans into it just as Leo does.

“Did you need one of us, Ritsu-senpai?”

“Mmmm, no~, but Secchan and Nacchan started fighting, and I didn't want to get in the middle of it.”

Leo hums, and it thrums against his collarbone. Tsukasa sighs, adjusting his arms to better accommodate for Ritsu. “It's about the cenotaph, isn't it?”

“Woah, so Suo's not as dense as he looks!”

“Weren't you the one calling me smart just a moment ago, Leo-san?”

Leo laughs in reply, and Tsukasa feels Ritsu start to snicker, too. Ugh, they're too much when they're together... He sneaks his arms around their necks and squeezes, pulling them closer as both of them wheeze and squirm; Izumi's bullying has been good for one thing and one thing only, an odd display of affection aside. He lets go after a moment, thudding back against the door with his own laugh—though that soon turns into a whine as Ritsu's the one to wiggle his (cold) fingers between his shirt and skin, and he squirms. “Ritsu-senpai—!”

“Suuchan's getting too big for his britches, pulling a move like Secchan~”

He laughs harder, devolving into coughs when Leo joins in, and it's only when they realize he's starting to have trouble breathing that they stop. _Good enough punishment,_ or something like that. Tsukasa wipes his eyes, feeling far too warm and light for the heavy winter around them, and turns to Leo as the door to the left of him creaks open. “So—why won't Narukami-senpai talk to me?”

“I think I talk to you plenty, Tsukasa-chan.” Arashi pouts at him when he looks up, startled. “You're all having so much fun out here without me and Izumi-chan? How mean.”

Ritsu yawns and pulls himself out of the pile, and Leo watches for a moment before he leans into Tsukasa's personal bubble again, stunning green eyes as focused as they are during any live. “Ask Naru again, okay?”

And then he's up, too, arms in a vice grip around Ritsu's waist as they drag themselves back inside. Arashi watches them curiously, and when he offers his hand to Tsukasa to help him up, he simply stares at it and motions him down. There's only a little complaining on his senior's part, mitigated by the way he leans against Tsukasa and proceeds to continue the night's new tradition of stealing the warmth from their youngest. Tsukasa rests his head against Arashi's shoulder, mulling over his words, then looks up through his lashes.

“Narukami-senpai, do you not trust me?”

Arashi blinks owlishly at him, then pats his head with a laugh. “Of course I do, Tsukasa-chan. You're my cute, reliable junior, after all.”

“If that's so, then...” He turns to him, lips pursed. “Why won't you tell me the truth? I haven't hidden anything from you, but I feel like you still hold back with me. I am Tsukasa Suou, of Knights—I'm not some little baby who can't stand on his own two feet, Narukami-senpai... You and Ritsu-senpai both tell me to rely on you two, but you can rely on me as well, so...”

It's quiet after he trails off, snow glinting in his peripheral; Arashi stares at him unabashedly, eyes wide and slightly more silver in the moonlight, before he lets out a weak laugh and pulls him closer. Tsukasa squeaks a little, dragged to his senior's chest, and he listens to the sound thumping of his heart against his ear. Quick, like he's been caught in a lie.

“Is that how you feel? I'm sorry, Tsukasa-chan,” he whispers, cheek pressed against the top of his head. “It isn't important for you to know certain things... That's all.”

“I _want_ to know.” He knows he sounds childish, and he fists Arashi's shirt with a frustrated sigh. “We're comrades, Narukami-senpai. That means we don't have to bear burdens on our own, regardless of what they might be... Isn't that right?”

It's a sentiment left largely unspoken among Knights, individualistic yet united, and the gentle card of Arashi's fingers through his hair comes before his words.

“You're right, Tsukasa-chan. I'm sorry.” He doesn't sound sorry enough, but when Tsukasa looks up to tell him so, his words stopper in his throat; Arashi has that sentimental look on his face again, looking ahead of them into the night, and he swallows them back and shakes his head. He curls closer to his senior as Arashi begins to whisper the _real_ reason behind his annual stop to the cenotaph, heart heavy and throat tight.

 

 

 

Leo and Izumi are leaving when they're going back in—well, they're by the door at least, and Izumi has his helmet and a second tucked under his arm, and they're caught in some sort of staring match. Arashi tilts his cheek into his hand with a soft sigh of, “ _Boys,_ ” and gently knocks them both upside the head.

Tsukasa bites his lip to keep from grinning at their twin shouts.

“I have a shoot in the morning, I've totally stayed up way later than I should've already and that's reaaaaaally soooo annoying, and no, we're not sleeping here? So yeah, you're coming with me.”

Leo scowls at him, then clings onto Arashi. “Naruuuuu, tell Sena to let me stay! I can't leave again! What if someone comes and kidnaps you guys...!?”

Arashi just pats his head fondly, and Tsukasa sighs as he raises a hand to his chest.

“No one's going to do that, Leo-san. We'll all be leaving soon as well... I'll arrange for a driver to take us each home.”

The answer seems to work well enough, though Leo still gives Arashi a tight squeeze and murmurs something in his ear; Arashi's eyes widen slightly, still rimmed slightly red, and he smiles gently as he returns the embrace and whispers something back. Izumi rolls his eyes, swinging his helmet in his hand idly, and tosses the second smaller one at Leo when he finally lets go of Knights' Queen. He shouts in surprise, catching it soundly, and Izumi slips his keys out of his pocket as he passes by.

He pauses in front of Tsukasa though, glancing at him—they're nearly the same height now, which seems to annoy him for a second until he shoves his hand on his head and messes with his hair, pushing him down a little. “You're not doing so bad, Kasa-kun,” he says, faking detachment with every syllable, and Tsukasa feels his eyes begin to sting.

“Sena-san—”

“Ah, he made Suuchan cry... What a bully!”

“Uwoah!? Sena, be nicer! Suo's still a chick!”

“Ousama, Tsukasa-chan stopped being a chick a while ago...”

Knights' studio—Sena House—bustles back to life at a moment's notice, and Tsukasa feels warm, wet tears slide down his face as he laughs.

 


End file.
